abandonment

19 Stories

He Stole His Wife's Passport, Then Stranded Her in Sudan

Australian man is first in Victoria state to be convicted for 'exit trafficking'

(Newser) - In September 2014, Australian Mohamed Ahmed Omer booked a one-month family vacation from Melbourne to Sudan with his wife and two young children—except once in Sudan, he took the kids, and his wife's various forms of identification, and fled back to Australia without her, essentially stranding her in...

Puppy Ditched by Owner at Airport Gets His Happy Ending

United Airlines employees took care of puppy left in San Francisco until pilot could adopt him

(Newser) - United Airlines has used "Fly the Friendly Skies" and "Good Leads the Way" as recent slogans, and both apply in a case out of California that has found a puppy his forever home. CNN reports on the plight of Polaris, a dog of unknown breed who was abandoned...

Couple Saves Injured Baby Allegedly Abandoned by Dad

Texas' McClain family found 9-month-old in their shed after man appeared to steal neighbor's truck

(Newser) - A Texas family got quite the surprise over the weekend after finding an infant in their backyard shed, amid troubling circumstances. Katharine and John McClain say they were awoken early Saturday by the loud sounds of a truck driving away from their neighbor's house on the outskirts of Livingston,...

After the Plane Landed, Baby Found in Bathroom Trash Can

The child survived

(Newser) - Two stories of abandoned newborns made headlines over the holiday weekend:
  • A plane that departed Madagascar and arrived in Mauritius on Saturday underwent a routine customs check upon landing—with results that were anything but routine. The BBC reports the airport staff discovered a newborn baby in the trash can
...

Mom of Abandoned Boys Says She Visited 'Every 2 Weeks'

Gloria Williams now claims she also didn't know her 8-year-old son, Kendrick Lee, was dead

(Newser) - A Texas mother charged after the body of her 8-year-old son was found in an apartment along with three abandoned siblings now says she checked on her boys "every two weeks" and that she hadn't realized one of the brothers was dead. "I'm sorry. I didn'...

'Heartbreaking' Find After Teen Places Call to Texas Cops

Abandoned boy, 2 younger brothers were living with remains of what may have been other sibling: sheriff

(Newser) - A teen's desperate call to law enforcement over the weekend led to a horrific find in a Texas apartment. That call came in to the Harris County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, per a statement from the agency, with the 15-year-old boy on the other end making a grim...

Baby Abandoned at Airport in 1986 Tracks Down Father
Baby Abandoned at Airport
in 1986 Tracks Down Father
in case you missed it

Baby Abandoned at Airport in 1986 Tracks Down Father

Steven Hydes also found his birth mother, but there's some sad news with that

(Newser) - "Gatwick Gary" has found his biological parents. It's the end of what the New York Daily News calls a "long and emotional journey" for 33-year-old Steven Hydes, a UK man who was discovered in 1986 as a 10-day-old newborn in the ladies' room at Gatwick Airport near...

Cops: Woman Gave Birth in Amazon Facility, Threw Baby in Trash

Samantha Vivier told police she hadn't known she was pregnant

(Newser) - A "terribly sad" discovery in Arizona has led to the arrest of a woman for child abandonment. Samantha Vivier, 22, faces one count of unlawful disposal of human remains after she told police she gave birth in the bathroom of an Amazon warehouse she worked at in Phoenix, the...

27 Rabbits Abandoned at Train Station

Officials in Long Island are eager to know who did this

(Newser) - Officials in Long Island, New York are offering a reward for information leading to the person or people responsible for dumping 27 rabbits by a Suffolk County train station, per the AP. The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it was notified on Sunday that...

The Unidentified Man Who Maybe Should've Stayed That Way


The Unidentified
Man Who Maybe
Should've Stayed
That Way
in case you missed it

The Unidentified Man Who Maybe Should've Stayed That Way

BBC helps solve the mysterious, sad tale of Roger Curry

(Newser) - "Roger Curry" was all that the gentleman with the American accent said when asked his name, and he said it only once. Thus begins the strange story Darragh MacIntyre spins for the BBC , following the mysterious trail of a man found wandering a parking lot in England in late...

Cops: Woman Left Disabled Son in Woods, Saw Lover

Adult son is found dehydrated with a Bible and wheelchair

(Newser) - A woman left her quadriplegic son, who has cerebral palsy, in the woods for several days and went to visit her boyfriend in Maryland, police said yesterday. The 21-year-old son was found lying in the leaves covered with a blanket next to a wheelchair and a Bible near Cobbs Creek...

Mom Busted for Abandoning Daughters, 5 and 3

Girls found wandering on busy Brooklyn street

(Newser) - A 26-year-old mother was arrested last night after allegedly abandoning her two little girls on a Brooklyn street, the New York Post reports. Dominae, 5, and Dioni, 3, were found yesterday afternoon wandering near a busy intersection, dressed in coats and UGG boots and holding extra diapers. "Mommy just...

Donkeys Abandoned Across Texas

Dire drought and high feed costs to blame

(Newser) - Cash-strapped donkey owners in Texas are abandoning the animals in record numbers, creating a headache for authorities and a devoted group of donkey rescuers, the Houston Chronicle reports. Authorities say dire drought and high feed costs are making donkeys, like horses, much harder to keep. "Donkey rescues have gone...

Family Abandons Son With Dead Sister

They flee to Mexico, leaving toddler's body

(Newser) - A family has fled back home to Mexico with their three biological children, abandoning their adopted 4-year-old son in their house with his dead toddler sister, according to law enforcement authorities. The girl's body showed signs of extreme trauma when it was found in a southern California home, said police....

The World's 7 Most Remote Destinations

Now abandoned, these places were once home to humans

(Newser) - Forget the Seven Wonders of the World. WebUrbanist takes a look at seven places that make you wonder why people ever settled there:
  • St. Kilda, Scotland: Although this archipelago is known for 16-foot waves and wind speeds up to 130mph, humans called it home for 2,000 years—until 1930,
...

Pets Are Losing Homes, Too
 Pets Are Losing Homes, Too 

Pets Are Losing Homes, Too

Recession sparks rise in animal abandonment

(Newser) - Animal shelters are being filled with pets abandoned because of the recession and home foreclosures. In Massachusetts, a rescue league has seen a 45% jump in owners citing money or housing problems when they surrender a cat or dog. Others are just leaving their pets on the streets or in...

Nebraska Closes Loophole on Abandoning Unruly Kids

Lawmakers could set age limitation today

(Newser) - Nebraska lawmakers today closed a loophole that allowed parents to abandon their unruly teenagers and leave them in state custody, the Omaha World-Herald reports. The original law was meant to allow unwanted infants to be left at hospitals without penalty, but it lacked an age restriction. Since September, 35 children,...

Foreclosure Victims Also Furry
 Foreclosure Victims Also Furry 

Foreclosure Victims Also Furry

As more people lose their homes, so do their pets

(Newser) - As foreclosure rates skyrocket around the country, animal shelters are feeling a heartbreaking byproduct: an influx of pets being surrendered, USA Today reports. Across the country, areas with high foreclosures are seeing increased rates of pet abandonment, and shelters worry that even more could be coming as unemployment rates rise...

Harder Times Make for Hungry Horses
Harder Times Make for
Hungry Horses

Harder Times Make for Hungry Horses

Collapse in equine market leads to rise in neglect of animals

(Newser) - When the sun was shining on the economy, millions of Americans tried to make hay by buying horses and moving into backyard breeding. As things slow down, the animals are getting harder to sell and pricier to feed, making horse neglect and abandonment a big problem, the Wall Street Journal...

19 Stories